Gospel Per Ear: How much would you be willing to pay?

How much should it cost a church to get the Gospel into the ears of it's community? The obvious answer is that it will cost something in resources (funds, time, energy, personnel, etc.).

You've heard the saying...if just one person comes to Christ, all that effort was worth it.



I disagree if it means it was done inefficiently. Allow me to explain...

If I had a choice between spending $10 a person verse $5 a person to get the Gospel into their ear...I'd pick the $5 every time. Would you? So would any smart organization - that way they have more resources to do it time and time again.

For example, at Topeka Bible Church we had 2,075 vehicles come to our light show this year. That's a 13% increase over last year's traffic. How many people do you think were in each car on average. We use the figure of 3 people per vehicle...but let's be very conversative here and account for an average of 2 people per vehicle. If the budget this year was $6,000 for the light show...so do the math, $6,000/(2,075 vehicles x 2 people per vehicle) = $1.45 Gospel per person.

Some would say we didn't spend enough compared to the rest of the church budget. Yet others would say, invest more in the ministries which have the largest impact (this is what wall street brokers do). Yet others are content to spend just enough to feel like something was done, but not too much to be a sacrifice.

Is $1.45 per person worth the Gospel? If not, what is? If you'd have been willing to pay more, what's your ceiling? Well, if it help to have a frame of reference, it's one of the lowest cost per person I've ever been a part of. Historically, at other churches, it's taken $80,000 to get the Gospel to roughly 8,000 people. That's $10 a head.

Here's another question, "How much did it cost God to reveal the Gospel to us?"

A BIGGER QUESTION is WHO were those people that we just invested $1.45 in. Do they attend TBC? Do they attend another church? Do they already know Jesus? Were any of them guests that a TBC person invited? We will survey this week to find out just WHO these people where and what connections, if any, they have to TBC or other churches in our community.

THE BIGGEST QUESTION... "If TBC doesn't get the Gospel into the ears of the community, what will that void be replaced with?"
Take your pick:
1. No one will 2. Another church who cares people enough to throw resources at it 3. Another organization who might not communicate the Gospel

QUESTION FOR MYSELF Is Bryan Nelson willing to get the Gospel into the ears of the community? If not, why not? Is it costing me anything to do it?

Monday Music: Phil Keaggy

I don't know anyone else who can make a Symphony out of one guitar...other than Phil Keaggy. Phil is a master musician. Aren't you amazed at how God has designed Phil with his body, mind, and soul to create music that points others to the Creator? Be amazed. Be very amazed. There's no greater purpose than to play for the King.

Make sure you watch through the 4:30 mark, his layering is spicy.

Incredible Topeka Bible Church baptism story last weekend

How God used Topeka Bible Church to lead a Drug Addict to Christ: If you missed baptism last Sunday, you missed an INCREDIBLE story. Last year you may recall a song and video the Vocal Team (all TBC singers) and Band communicated - called "Our God Reigns." If not, here's another look at it... his story begins at 3 minutes 10 seconds...



Underneath the song, a story of TJ was told - a guy who's in the worship arts ministry ... in fact, on stage crew. His life was spiraling out of control.

Can you believe that one of TJ's drug dealer clients had started attending TBC and was there that morning? Believe it. This woman was looking for the same hope that TJ discovered. And now the video, song, and story was connecting with her. That's how God works. At this past Sunday's baptism, she was baptized! Do you believe God can use us? If not, change your thinking. Worship at TBC matters!

TBC Worship Rewind: August 30, 2009 #sundaysetlist #sundaysetlists

Rewind:
Big day at Topeka Bible Church yesterday. We had our normal 5 worship hours (3 locations), then add the Discovery Day tent, then an evening baptism at the lake with 20+ people making a public statement to follow Jesus. Personally, we had a wedding that our kids were flower girl and ring bearer in, so that was Thursday/Friday. It was a big week and weekend.

I learned that musicians/techs function differently in the AM verses PM. Don't all of us? With a unique Saturday rehearsal, I was toast when I walked in. So were others, including the pregnant singer with morning sickness. I function better in the PM rehearsal on Thursdays. Glad that's our regular routine. Now to take care of Sunday AM...what about a Saturday PM?!?!? I'd be in heaven.

Pick easy/familar songs when you have a late rehearsal (or a freak "no rehearsal" at all for some reason), that is if you are used to rehearsals advanced of Sunday. I've wondered what this senario would look like?

SATURDAY
Rehearsal 3pm - 5pm
Dinner with musicians/techs 5pm - 6pm
Worship 6pm

SUNDAY
Sound check 7:40am
Worship 8am, 9:30am, 11am

What do you think? No rehearsal Thursday, just Saturday...then roll.

Watch/listen to last weekend's message

Set List:

• You're Worthy of My Praise > Ruis
• Jesus Messiah > Tomlin, Carson, Cash (Ed, not Johnny) , Reeves
  
• Oh the Deep, Deep Love > Music by Kauflin
  
• O Worship the King > Chorus by Tomlin
  

Links to other setlists:

• Fred McKinnon
• Rick Kirkpatrick
• Twitter #sundaysetlists or #sundaysetlist
  

Exit Interview: Why are people leaving your church?

What if people were leaving your church because they "never felt fed?" What if people were visiting other places to get what they felt they needed because they didn't get it at your location? What if people were just singing words instead of really meaning them during a worship gathering? What if people questioned if the majority really even had a relationship with God?

Then, what if they told you they believed the change should come from leadership? (Gulp, that's me.)

What would you do? Anything? Or is it easier to turn my head?

So here are some big questions...

1. Do people in our church have a relationship with God? What percentage do you think?
2. Are we sure people are growing deeper in the relationship? Where have they come from, where are they today, and where are they going on a spiritual spectrum?
3. Are we using God's Word to feed people? If not, how can we so that #1-3 happen?

How do we evaluate to figure out these things?

Some deep questions for this morning.

New song at Topeka Bible Church: Oh the Deep, Deep Love

Many times, I don't know if a song will be a keeper until we actually try it out. The song we are learning now (Say So) was good to get TBC up and running. Judging by the response, it will be a keeper. However, there's a new song called Oh the Deep, Deep Love written by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925) and rewritten (added words and music) by Bob Kauflin that I know will be a keeper even before we do it. And if I'm wrong, I'll have egg on my face. Here are the words and a link to an MP3 sample of the music.

And if you want to catch Bob give a talk about an example of what makes a bad tune bad...check it out here.



By the way, you can sing “O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus” to the tune of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” or "Come Thou Fount" - take your pick. Interesting. The meter of lyric has worked for years, and still does.

Oh the Deep, Deep Love

Verse 1

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of Your love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Your glorious rest above

Chorus

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus

Verse 2

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Spread His praise from shore to shore
How He came to pay our ransom
Through the saving cross He bore
How He watches o’er His loved ones
Those He died to make His own
How for them He’s interceding
Pleading now before the throne

Verse 3

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Far surpassing all the rest
It’s an ocean full of blessing
In the midst of every test
Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Mighty Savior, precious Friend
You will bring us home to glory
Where Your love will never end


Original Words by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925). Music, chorus, and alternate words by Bob Kauflin.
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries.
From Come Weary Saints. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
North American administration by Integrity Music. International administration by CopyCare International.

:: what boundaries have you set up in your life?

Without boundaries, life can suck you into a vortex of saying "yes" to just about everything (both the 'good' things and 'best' things). However, this leaves you virtually no room to say "yes" to the 'best' things in life that God brings. In essence, the 'good' stuff overtakes you.

Here is one of my boundaries. So every Thursday, my family and I have a 'boundary lunch.' Basically, it's the one lunch date every week that my family and I have lunch together. If others need to meet, it's going to be another day of the week - but not Thursday. It's turned into a day that we look forward to. We reconnect. We cherish the 'us' time. And we can plan on it happening regularly.

How about you? What boundaries do you set up?